Policy information sourced from the Braintree District Council Local Plan 2013-2033.

SP 8: Development & Delivery of a New Garden Community in North Essex.

The following new garden community is proposed at the broad location shown on Map 10.2.

Tendring/Colchester Borders, a new garden community which will deliver between 2,200 and 2,500 homes, 7 hectares of employment land and provision for Gypsies and Travellers within the Plan period (as part of an expected overall total of between 7,000 and 9,000 homes and 25 hectares of employment land to be delivered beyond 2033).

The garden community will be holistically and comprehensively planned with a distinct identity that responds directly to its context and is of sufficient scale to incorporate a range of homes, employment, education & community facilities, green space and other uses to enable residents to meet the majority of their day-to-day needs, reducing the need for outward commuting. It will be comprehensively planned from the outset, with delivery phased to achieve the whole development, and will be underpinned by a comprehensive package of infrastructure.

A Development Plan Document (DPD) will be prepared for the garden community, containing policies setting out how the new community will be designed, developed and delivered in phases, in accordance with the principles in paragraphs i-xiv below. No planning consent for development forming part of the garden community will be granted until the DPD has been adopted. All development forming part of the garden community will comply with these principles.

  • Community and stakeholder participation in the design and delivery of the garden community from the outset and a long-term community engagement and activation strategy.
  • The public sector working pro-actively and collaboratively with the private sector to design, and bring forward the garden community, deploying new models of delivery where appropriate and ensuring that the cost of achieving the following is borne by landowners and those promoting the developments: (a) securing a high-quality of place-making, (b) ensuring the timely delivery of both on-site and off-site infrastructure required to address the impact of the new community, and (c) providing and funding a mechanism for future stewardship, management, maintenance and renewal of community infrastructure and assets. Where appropriate, developers will be expected to contribute towards publicly-funded infrastructure, including a contribution towards the A120-A133 link road. Given the scale of and time period for development of the new garden community, the appropriate model of delivery will need to secure a comprehensive approach to delivery in order to achieve the outcomes outlined in points (a) - (c) in this paragraph, avoid a piecemeal approach to development, provide the funding and phasing of both development and infrastructure, and be sustainable and accountable in the long term.
  • Promotion and execution of the highest quality of planning, design and management of the built and public realm so that the Garden Community is characterised as a distinctive place that capitalises on local assets, respects its context, and establishes an environment that promotes health, happiness and well-being.
  • Sequencing of development and infrastructure provision (both on-site and off-site) to ensure that the latter is provided ahead of or in tandem with the development it supports to address North Essex Authorities’ Shared Strategic Local Plan Section 1 48 the impacts of the new garden community, meet the needs of its residents and establish sustainable travel patterns. To ensure new development does not have an adverse effect on any European Protected or nationally important sites and complies with environmental legislation (notably the Water Framework Directive and the Habitats Directive), the required waste water treatment capacity must be available ahead of the occupation of dwellings.
  • Development that provides for a truly balanced and inclusive community and meets the housing needs of local people including a mix of dwelling sizes, tenures and types, provision for self- and custom-built homes, provision for the aging population; and provision for Gypsies and Travellers; and that meets the requirements of those most in need including the provision of 30% affordable housing in the garden community.
  • Provide and promote opportunities for employment within the new community and within sustainable commuting distance of it.
  • Plan the new community around a step change in integrated and sustainable transport systems for the North Essex area that put walking, cycling and rapid public transit networks and connections at the heart of growth in the area, encouraging and incentivising more sustainable active travel patterns.
  • Structure the new community to create sociable, vibrant and walkable neighbourhoods with equality of access for all to a range of community services and facilities including health, education, retail, culture, community meeting spaces, multi-functional open space, sports and leisure facilities.
  • Develop specific garden community parking approaches and standards that help promote the use of sustainable transport and make efficient use of land.
  • Create distinctive environments which are based on comprehensive assessments of the surrounding environment and that celebrate natural and historic environments and systems, utilise a multi-functional green-grid to create significant networks of new green infrastructure including a new country park at the garden community, provide a high degree of connectivity to existing corridors and networks and enhance biodiversity.
  • Secure a smart and sustainable approach that fosters climate resilience and a 21st century environment in the design and construction of the garden community to secure net gains in local biodiversity, highest standards of energy efficiency and innovation in technology to reduce the impact of climate change, the incorporation of innovative water efficiency/re-use measures (with the aim of being water neutral in areas of serious water stress), and sustainable waste and mineral management.
  • Ensure that the costs and benefits of developing a garden community are shared by all landowners, with appropriate measures being put in place to equalise the costs and land contributions.
  • Consideration of potential on-site mineral resources through a Minerals Resource Assessment as required by the Minerals Planning Authority.
  • Establishment at an early stage in the development of the garden community, of appropriate and sustainable long-term governance and stewardship arrangements for community assets including green space, public realm areas and community and other relevant facilities; such arrangements to be funded by the development and include community representation to ensure residents have a stake in the long term development, stewardship and management of their community.

For more information, including links to the referenced maps detailed above, please visit Braintree District Council’s Local Plan here.